Covering for awnings and the like



Aug. 4, 1953 H. RUGGLES COVERING FOR AWNINGS AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. 10, 1947 INVENTOR. DONALD H PUGGL 5 Patented Aug. 4, 1953 UNITED T ES PATENT OFFICE COVERING FQRYIAWNINGS AND THE LIKE nonma-ngnu gle Tulsa, Okla. Application November 10, 1947, Serial No. 785,166

Thi invention relates to ventilated shields employed as protection against sun, rain, snow, wind and the like. Such a shield may be employed as the covering to provide an awning.

An important object of the invention is to provide such a shield, which is preferably of rigid material and is constructed and arranged to be employed, when disposed in oneposition, as a covering to provide a window awning and, when disposed in another position, is adapted to provide a less abruptly sloping awning, such as an awning over a door way.

Another important object is to provide shields, as for the purpose described, which will, of course, shield from glaresunlight and the like, but will provide adequate ventilation and will shed rain, for example and, despite the provision of relatively large ventilation areas, the shields are sturdy.

Still another important object is to provide sheet metal shields which may be employed as coverings for awning frames, whichshields may be readily fashioned by relatively simple operations to provide a plurality of'stepped sections,

with risers, and a plurality of spaced-apart ventilation ports in the risers.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following detailed description of the invention,

taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this disclosure, and in which drawing:

Figure l is a top plan of a fragment of the novel shield. v

Figure 2 is a fragmentary longitudinalsection of a stepped section of the shield, showing a riser in elevation, and a plurality of ventilation ports therein. I

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse section of a fragment of the shield, takenat one of the ports but with the shield of Figure 1 having its up side downwardly. v 1

Figure 4 is a like section but taken intermediate two ports. Y

Figure 5 is a transverse section, substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 illustrates employment of the covering as a window awning covering.

Figure 7 illustrates the covering employed as disposed above a doorway.

In the drawing, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the shield is shown to c p a p ural ty o stepped sections or 4 Claims. (Cl. 20 -575) louvre-like elements Ill and a plurality of risers or gradually merging connecting portions ll of substantially S shape, as may be seen upon reversing any of the risers ll shown in Figs. 3 to 7 inclusive, joining the sections Ill and provided with a plurality of spaced-apart ports or openings 22. I The shield is preferably formed of sheet metal, although what is essential is that a suitable substantially rigid material form the shield, but a material which may be fashioned, as by stamping, into the desired form and will retain that form.

Each stepped section ID has opposite faces l5 and It, and, except for one terminal section ID; a side portion I l merging into one portion of one adjacent riser II, and except for the oppo site terminal section [0, a side portion l-8 merging into another portion of another adjacent riser ll.

The solid portions 2|] of the risers ll do not join the, adjacent stepped sections In to form right angles therewith but, instead, form obtuse angles, as is apparent in Figure 5, for example. However,- the port-containing portions 2| of the risers H, are somewhat arcuate and are so disposed, as is clear in Fig. 5, that the transverse centers of the risers II are acutely inclined to the planes of adjacent stepped sections 10, and these portions 2| extend from the side portions I 8 of' the stepped sections to the solid portions 20 of the risers which, in turn, join the portions I! of the sections I 6. Viewed along the faces 15, the port-containing portions 2| are concave. As a result of the structure heretofore described the solid portions 20 overhang the stepped sections In when the shield is positioned as in Figure 5.

Theriser portions 2| are provided with a pluralityof spaced-apart ports or openings 22 which maybe: slots with a small web of material between each port, as is clear from Figure 2 and, as shown for example in Fig. 5, the opening 22 cut or extend into the section l8.

This specific construction disclosed permits the shield to be disposed, in one case, as in Figure 6, where it may function as an awning covering for a window. There the slope is substantially 45 and the ports 22 are below the solid portion 20 of their riser, but rain, striking the surfaces [5, will not be apt to splash nor be driven through the ports because of the relatively abrupt angle. Neither will the rain water, flowing downwardly over the sections In, enter the ports because of the slope and overhang of the riser portions 20. as is clear from Figures 5 or 6.

However, the shield is equally applicable to provide awning coverings over door ways, display windows and the like, where no such abrupt angle as 45 is generally possible. All that is required is that the shield be reversed, so that the surfaces l6 of the stepped sections are uppermost, as in Fig. 7. Here gravitational flow of rain water is slow and rain water upon the surfaces 16 would tend to be blown by wind through the ports 22 if they were in line with the blown rain water. However, it will be noted in Figure 7, that now the ports 22 are above the solid portion 20 of their riser, so that a solid wall (the riser portion 20) is presented to the wind-blown rain water. It will also be noted that because of the obtuse angular disposition of the stepped sections 10 and upward-extending riser portions 20, flowing rain water will not drip through the ports 22 but will flow upon the next lower stepped :portion.

From the foregoing it may be seen that there is provided one shield which, positioned with one like face of each stepped portion upwardly, forms a covering for a window awning, for example, and, positioned with the other like faces of the st pped portions upwardly, forms a covering for a door way awning, for example. Obviously the novel shield may be employed to provide a ventilated roof for garages or the li (e.

Various changes may be made to the .form of the invention herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:

1.. In a rigid. inclined awning, a sheet of rigid material provided with a plurality of substantially flat, parallel sections each having opposite faces and opposite side edges with all ofsaidjfaces in substantial parallelism and inclinedfrorn the vertical and horizontal, means joiningf tions and disposing them in stepped relationcomprising risers, each having a solid wall portion joining one adjacent section and with the lane of the solid wall portion extending into'the other adjacent section and forming an obtuse angle therewith, and a perforated wall portion, provided with a plurality of spaced-apart vent openings, joining said solid wall portion and the'next adjacent section, the transverse central partoi said risers being acutely inclined tothe planes of adjacent sections, and said openings cutting-into said next adjacen section, said solid wall portion extendingfov aid openings in the adjacent perforated we portion and overhanging said last-named openings.

' 2'. In a rigid inclined awning, a sheet of rigid material'pi'ovided with a plurality of substantially flat, parallel sections each having opposite faces, means joining the sections and disposing them in stepped relation comprising gradually merging connecting portions for said sections,

each connecting portion having a solid wall'portion joining the adjacent section at one of its faces, forming therewith an obtuse angle and overhanging the other adjacent section, and a perforated wall portion, provided with a plurality of spaced-apart openings which openings extend into said otheradjacent section, joining said solid wall portion and said other adjacent section and offset with respect to said overhanging solid wall portion, whereby when all of one of said faces are uppermost said solid wall portions will be below their adjoining perforated wall portion and when all of the other of said faces are uppermost said perforated wall portions will be below their adjoining solid wall portions and each of said solid wall portions will overhang the adjacent section immediately below it.

3. In an awning a plurality of stepped rigid elongated sections inclined from the vertical and horizontal, and all being in substantially parallel planes, each having opposite side portions; and rigid means connecting the sections comprising elongated risers, each having a longitudinallyextending solid wall portion, joined to one side portion of an adjacent upper section and overhanging the opposite side portion of the next adjacent lower section, and a longitudinally-extending-wall portion provided with a vent opening and joined directly to said opposite wall portion at a location spaced fromthe transverse plane of the solid wall portion, said next adjacent lower section being joined directly to the wall portion provided with said opening; said opening extending into said next'adjacent lower section and being overhung by said solid wall portion above said opening.

4. In an awning a plurality of stepped rigid elongated sections inclined from the vertical and horizontal and all being in substantially parallel planes, each having opposite side portions; and

rigid means connecting the sections comprising elongated risers, each having a longitudinallyextending solid Wall portion, joined to one side portion of one adjacent section directly next above'said solid wall portion, said solid wall portion overhanging the opposite side portion of the next adjacent lower section, and a longitudinallyextending wall portion provided with a vent opening and joined directly to said last-named opposite side portion at a location spaced from the transverse plane of the solid wall portion, said lower section being joined directly to the wall portion provided with said opening, said vent opening cutting into said lower section and said wall portion, above said opening, overhanging said opening.

DONALD I-I. RUGGLES.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

